Research Publications (Food Safety)

D. Eikmeier et al. Shigellosis outbreaks caused by Shigella with decreased susceptibility to azithromycin (DSA-Shigella) among men who have sex with men (MSM) have been reported worldwide. We describe sexual health indicators and antimicrobial drug resistance for shigellosis cases in Minnesota, USA.

Porto-Fett, A. C. S., L. E. Shane, B. A. Shoyer, M. Osoria, Y. Jung, and J. B. Luchansky. We evaluated high pressure processing to lower levels of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes inoculated into samples of plant or beef burgers. Multi-strain cocktails of STEC and L. monocytogenes were separately inoculated (ca. 7.0 log CFU/g) into plant burgers or ground beef.

Luchansky, J. B., B. A. Shoyer, Y. Jung, L. E. Shane, M. Osoria, and A. C. S. Porto-Fett. The viability of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes within plant- and beef-based burgers was monitored during storage and cooking. When inoculated (ca. 3.5 log CFU/g) into 15-g portions of plant- or beef-based burgers, levels of STEC and Salmonella decreased slightly (≤0.5-log decrease) in both types of burgers when stored at 4°C, but increased ca.

Shigella species, the causal agents of bacillary dysentery, use a type III secretion system (T3SS) to inject two waves of virulence proteins, known as effectors, into the colonic epithelium to subvert host cell machinery. Prior to host cell contact and secretion of the first wave of T3SS effectors, OspD1, an effector and anti-activator protein, prevents premature production of the second wave of effectors. Despite this important role, regulation of the ospD1 gene is not well understood.

Antibiotic resistance/tolerance has become a severe threat to human and animal health. To combat antibiotic-resistant/tolerant bacteria, it is of significance to improve the efficacy of traditional antibiotics. Here we show that indole potentiates tobramycin to kill stationary-phase Staphylococcus aureus cells after a short, combined treatment, with its derivative 5-methylindole being the most potent compound tested and with the absence of ions as a prerequisite.

ABSTRACT

by Michele Lunelli, Antje Kamprad, Jörg Bürger, Thorsten Mielke, Christian M. T. Spahn, Michael Kolbe

RNA thermometers are cis-acting riboregulators that mediate the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression in response to environmental temperature. Such regulation is conferred by temperature-responsive structural changes within the RNA thermometer that directly result in differential ribosomal binding to the regulated transcript. The significance of RNA thermometers in controlling bacterial physiology and pathogenesis is becoming increasingly clear.

Author(s): Zhongyang Yuan, Wei Yan, Chaoliang Wen, Jiangxia Zheng, Ning Yang, Congjiao Sun

Author(s): Michał Patrzałek, Maja Kosecka-Strojek, Klaudia Lisowska-Łysiak, Magdalena Trela, Mariusz Kot, Magdalena Gawlak, Dawid Liszka, Mieczysław Sajewicz, Barbara Tombarkiewicz, Krzysztof Pawlak, Jacek Międzobrodzki, Marcin W. Lis

Author(s): Priyangi A Alwis, Puthayalai Treerat, Lan Gong, Deanna Deveson Lucas, Elizabeth M Allwood, Mark Prescott, Rodney J Devenish, Ben Adler, John D Boyce

Author(s): Ila Anand, Wonyoung Choi, Ralph R Isberg

Author(s): Foteini F. Parlapani, Ilario Ferrocino, Sofia Michailidou, Anagnostis Argiriou, Serkos A. Haroutounian, Lambros Kokokiris, Kalliopi Rantsiou, Ioannis S. Boziaris

Author(s): Reza Roohi, Seyed Mohammad Bagher Hashemi

To the Editor—Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. are major gastrointestinal pathogens. Although extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–mediated resistance to cephalosporins is common in Escherichia coli [1], it remains rare in infections with enteric pathogens. Consequently, current recommendations for treating these infections include cephalosporins [2]. Here we report 3 cases of ESBL emergence within 6–49 days after cephalosporin therapy.

Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Clostridium botulinum type A, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens Alpha toxin, and Yersinia enterocolitica are 11 common foodborne pathogens. Traditional bacterial culture methods for detecting pathogens are time‐consuming and labor‐intensive.

by Tania Henríquez, Juan Carlos Salazar, Massimiliano Marvasi, Ajit Shah, Gino Corsini, Cecilia S. Toro

by Jamie L. Burgess, Heather B. Case, R. Alan Burgess, Nicholas E. Dickenson

by The PLOS ONE Editors

Author(s): Ada Kazi, Che Muhammad Khairul Hisyam Ismail, Anthony Amy Amilda, Candy Chuah, Chiuan Herng Leow, Boon Huat Lim, Kirnpal Kaur Banga Singh, Chiuan Yee Leow

by Jilong Qin, Matthew Thomas Doyle, Elizabeth Ngoc Hoa Tran, Renato Morona

ABSTRACT

Reduced digestibility of foods containing oxidized proteins and the subsequent excessive accumulation of undigested components in the colon may cause changes in the intestinal flora composition. This study evaluates the characteristics of this change and the potential adverse effects on organisms. Methods and results Pork was cooked using sous‐vide or at high temperature and pressure (HTP), and freeze‐dried, resulting in different levels of oxidized damage.

Human α-defensins are 3- to 5-kDa disulfide-bridged peptides with a multitude of antimicrobial activities and immunomodulatory functions. Recent studies show that human enteric α-defensin 5 (HD5), a host defense peptide important for intestinal homeostasis and innate immunity, aids the highly infectious enteropathogen Shigella in breaching the intestinal epithelium in vitro and in vivo.